In recent years, the National Hockey League Players’ Association has held an annual event that shows off the game’s young stars that are expected to make an impact during the upcoming season.

The 2014 NHLPA Rookie Showcase is set to take place on August 23 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto and the participants will donning their NHL uniforms for this special occasion. They are hitting the ice at the same site as the former Maple Leaf Gardens and this event gives Upper Deck an exclusive opportunity to get shots of many players that are expected to make their debut in official trading card products in the near future.

The announced roster of 33 players features several elite prospects along with some that have already made the NHL debuts and still qualify as rookies. Not every player may end up hitting the ice in 2014-15, but hopes are high among scouts and fans that they will become stars.

Some of the more recognizable names that will be taking to the ice include 2014 first overall pick, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, second overall choice Sam Reinhart of the Buffalo Sabres and fourth selection Sam Bennett of the Calgary Flames.

While many of these players have regional or prospect cards already available on the secondary market, some (Teravainen, Kuznetsov, McKegg and Namestnikov) have already seen their first NHL cards in 2014-15 Upper Deck MVP.

Beckett Media plans to be in attendance and will be offering extensive coverage of the event and the players involved both online and in future issues of Beckett Hockey.

Stephen Laroche is the editor of Beckett Hockey and Beckett Basketball magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at SLaroche@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Laroche.